Pencils and Bullets

In this film we follow two young girls from the minority Turkmen community in northern Afghanistan as they get the chance to attend school. Hayt Gul wants an education rather than sitting at home carpet-weaving with her mother. Nooriya wants to become a doctor. Both are keen students who seek to shine in their class. Through these two young girls, the film explores the current situation and future prospect for girls’ education in Afghanistan, and looks at the efforts of a minority to educate its children and improve their lot in a world where local and external players fight for power and influence in a dangerous and unrelenting manner.